Bag-fastener.



I. R. CLARKE.

BAG PASTENER.

APPLIGATION FILED 11011.18, 191s.

1,103,264. Patented July 14.1914.

I'E l El E n E rm: MRR/s Ferma ca, wasmucrou, n. c.

FISI-IER R. CLARKE, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.

BAG-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14, 1914.

Application filed November 18, 1913. Serial No. 801,638.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, Frei-inn R. CLARKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stockton, in the county of San Joaquin and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bag-Fasteners; and l do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to locks and latches, and more especially it is a device intended to lock a bag, such as a mail bag; and the objects of the .invention are to improve the construction of the lock itself and` to iinprove the disposition. of this lock within the mouth of the bag so that the lock can be in duplicate connected by a flexible shaft and yet an unauthorized person cannot open the bag.

To this end the inveiit-ion consists in the details of construction hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and as shown in the drawings wherein- Figure l is a front elevation of this improved lock, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of said lock and its keeper, with the latter slightly removed. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the lock with the face plate removed, showing the keeper in. section, and with its head engaged with the lock, the saine being taken on about the section line 3-3 of Fig. 4L. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4.--4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 3 excepting that the keeper is removed and the tumbler is 'turned so that the cam has spread the catches apart to their utmost liinit. Fig. (S is a horizontal section on the line G--G of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a vertical section, taken on about the line 3-3 of Fig. 4c but with the parts in the same relative position as illustrated in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a front view and Fig. 9 an edge View of the face plate. Fig. 10 is a front view and Fig. 11 an edge view of the body portion of the casing. Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the keeper.

The lock whose details are illustrated in the drawings, is of that type wherein an arrow-headed keeper enters the lock casing and passes between two spring-pressed catches, spreading them apart until the largest portion of the head has passed them, when their springs close them toward each other and the keeper is locked therein.

invention.

Aing a mail baO prises a flat rear plate 1 having holes 2 at `its upper and lower ends; a similar front plate having holes 4; alining with those in the rear plate and a rectangular opening 5 surrounded by a boss 6 between said holes;

.and a body 7 having similar holes 8 alining with the others above mentioned and a rectangular opening 9 aliniiig with the yopening 5 but extended only part way `through 'the body, whence it continues 4for .the remainder of the distance in a circular opening l0; and screws, rivets, or bolts 11 connect these three parts and are preferably employed. as shown on Sheet 2 of the drawings for attaching the lock casing to one of the-members which the lock is to connect.

To the other member is attached the base plate 12 of the keeper, said plate being preferably round as shown, and the shank 13 :of the keeper projects from the center thereof and is preferably of rectangular or square cross section and tapered toward its outer end on at least two sides,I the head 14 of this keeper being of arrow-head shape and preferably tapered on all four sides as shown. When this head is passed into the boss G it fits loosely inand passes through the opening 5 in the front plate 3 .and enters the registering rectangular opening S) in the body 7; and a coiled expansive spring 15 is seated in the cylindrical extension 1() at the rear end of said opening in the body. compressed by the entrance of the keeperhead.

spring eject-s the keeper from the lock, and

Atherefore l have called this the ejector spring.

At its rear end it rests against the back or rear plate 1, and at its front end it rests against a shoulder formedby a lip 23 which stands between the rectangular opening 9 in the body and the round eXtension 10 thereof as seen in Fig. 7. y

While the front and rear `plates may be rather thin, the body 7 of the lock-casing is quite thick as shown, and in its front face lNhen the catches (yet to be de scribed) are disengaged from the shoulders beneath said head, the expansion of thisv is formed a substantially triangular recess wherein the two catches are movably mount,

ed beneath the front plate. The `upper end ofy this recess is rather narrow and is ldi-v vided into two smaller recesses which might be called fulcrums 2O by a depending lip 2ll just beneath the upper hole through'l the body. Beneath this lip the body itself may be cut out as shown at 22 for sake of lightness, although this is not necessary. The

llower end of the recess is rather wide, and

from its bottom said lip 23 rises to a peint flush with the bottom of the rectangular opening 9 through the bodyf-tlierebyrv dividing this end of the recess into two channels 25 forthev lower ends of the catches. The sides of the body itself are enlarged as seen at 26, and within each enlargement is forniedv a pocket 27 `constituting a lateral offset from the recess. The two catches 28 are disposed withinsaid recess, their upper ends movablyumouiited in said fulcrums and their lowery ends movably mounted in said channels, and outside of or behind each catch within one of the pockets is disposed va small coiled expansive spring 30 whose 'tendency' normally throws ythe catch inwith a deep transverse groove 33 cut into it from its front face and to an extent deeper than the recess above described, and within this groove rotates the vtumbler 34 having heads 35 and 36 at its ends outside the casing and a triangular cam 37- midway bej ward between said lugs on the catchesand y Y `is applied may be of any suitable construcmember andthebase plate l2 of the keeper attached tothe other member, whenever the4 tween said heads and so disposed that when the tumbleris rotated this cam passes upspreads them apartagainst the tension of their springs 30. Finally, half-bearingsBS project to the rear from the face plate 3 and close the forward portion of the transverse groove near the ends of the latter, the inner extremities yof these bearings overlying the body of the tumbler between its heads so as to keep all parts in place. vWhen now the parts are [assembled with the fastening bolt 11 attaching the casing to one latter is brought toward the former so that the head 14 of the keeper passes through the boss 6, the beveled sides of saidhead strike the beveled corners o-f the catchesand press the latterv outward` withinv the .substantially triangular recess in the body 7, against the tension of the springs 30, and the head kin la manner whichA will be clear.

Iinovemcnts. a vknob or a key may `be employed to ,rotate Asaid tumbler,v but as I 'perform this function by special means v.constituting part of the mail bag closure `of which this lock is :essary to illustrate the knob or key in conpasses between them and its tip compresses the ejector spring 15.` The front end of the latter is thus pressed to the rear out of contact with the rear side of the upstanding The rcatches now snap inward behind the head, and the lock is closed and the two members locked together as seen. in Figs. 4l and G. vTo release said members by unlocking the lock, the tumbler is rotated within its bearings'by any suitable means `until its triangular cani passes between the two lugs on thecatches and spreads them apart against the tension of Vtheir springs 3U llheir lower ends, moving in the channels 25 disengage from beneath the head llof the. keeper, and when this occurs the ejector spring 15 pushes the keeper out of the lock casing partly so that when the tumbler ro'-v 'tates sufficiently to carry the' cani pastthe lugs on the catches they will not spring inward into contact with the rearvside ofthe lip 23, but the latter prevents saidl front end froinmoving into thevrecess in which the catches are mounted, and therefore the ejector spring cannot interfere with their Any suitable means such as a part, it will not be necnection with the lock itself. I maysay further that it is rquite possible that a lock "(although it might be called a latch if it have a knob instead of a key) ofthis type could be employed in other connections than as herein described vand claimed, although when it is used on two members moving to- `ward each other on a curvedA line rather than straight to and fro, 1 would givek the shank 4 i 13 of the keeper a slight curvature.

The mail bag to which this improved lock tion, kbut its mouth is peculiarly folded as wall, and the end walls E bent or folded on `upright lines U so that iii closing the mouth these ends pass between the front or reinforced wall and the yrear wall R, and

then theflap F passes over the entire upper end of the bag. Each end is provided at suitable points with two eyelets I, and the front with two eyelets I adapted to reg- `ister therewith when the parts are folded.'

Two of my locks are shown as used in connection with this bag-mouth, and the base plates l2 of the keepers are secured to the flap by rivets as seen at 4Q, while the rivets or bolts l1 attach the two lock-casings to the rear wall R at proper points to permit the alined eyes I, I, and I near each end of the bag to pass over the tubular boss 6 of one lock-casing as the bag-mouth is closed. A flexible shaft 43 is connected at the point 44 with the tumbler' of one lock and at the point 45 with the contiguous end of the tumbler of the other lock, and on the remote side of the latter the shaft is continued as at 4G and is connected as at 47 with the barrel 49 of a key-operated lock 50 preferably of the Yale type and whose key will be that now commonly employed in the mail service of the United States. The parts are so disposed upon the rear wall R of the bag that the tumblers of the two bolts stand in alinement and yet the presence of a flexible shaft between them permits this wall to be bent as the necessities of the service demand. In closing a mail-bag mouth so constructed the ends E are folded on their upright lines U and their eyelets I, I pass over the tubular boss G, and next the front F is folded down and its eyelet I passed over the outer end of said boss; after which the flap is brought over and the arrow-headed keeper is passed through the boss and into the opening 5 in the manner above described. The catches in each lock snap in behind the arrow-head on the keeper so that it will be seen the bag can be closed without the use of a key. To open the bag, the key is inserted into the lock 50 and the barrel thereof rotated; this turns the flexible shaft, which in turn rotates the two tumblers so that their cams spread apart the catches and the arrow heads are released and ejected in the man ner above described. While I have shown but two of my improved locks in the mouth f of this bag, it is quite obvious that a greater number could be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention. The details of the flexible shaft form no part of the present invention, but I would preferably make it of metal and if any section of it be long I would mount it under a keeper 5l secured to the rear wall R of the bagmouth so as to prevent the displacement of the flexible shaft while yet permitting its rotation. This arrangement overcomes the objections which existed with respect to the Cody inail-bag fastener above referred to. I do not wish to be limited strictly to the detailed construction described and shown, nor to the materials or proportions of parts.

W'hat is claimed as new is:

l. rllhe combination with a keeper having an arrow head; of a casing having an opening adapted for the reception of said head and a recess extending to either side of the opening, a pair of catches movably mounted within said recess in a plane at right angles to the length of said opening and having tri-l angularI lugs at their inner sides, a spring outside each catch moving its lower end normally inward into engagement with the keeper-head, a manually rotatable shaft mounted in said casing and extending behind both said catches, and a triangular cam on the shaft adapted to be forced bee tween said triangular lugs when the shaft is rotated.

2. The combination with a keeper having at its front end an arrow head of substantially rectangular cross section; of a casing having a rectangular opening for the reception of said head, the opening being reduced and made cylindrical at its rear end, said casing also having a recess in a pla-ne at right angles to the length of the opening and extending to either side thereof, an upstanding lip at the bottom of this recess and rising to the bottom of said rectangular opening, a coiled ejector spring disposed within the cylindrical portion of said opening and normally resting against the rear side of said lip, a pair of catches disposed within said recess, yielding means for pressing them normally toward each other and into con tact with the opposite sides of said lip forward of the ejector spring, and manually controlled means for overcoming said yielding means and spreading the catches apart, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FISHER It. CLARKE. TWitnesses:

I-I. F. HUDSON, M. I). GLinnnN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for vc cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

